Striking Deepal S07 an interesting if not perfect premium EV arrival

The S07 is, for the moment, the sole Deepal model sold in South Africa. Picture: Charl Bosch Electric cars are no longer the foreign entity they once were as evident by the number of offerings already available. Compared to its parent company Changan, Deepal is very much a foreign brand as it only debuted last year.

The upscale division of Changan Deepal is still relatively new as it only produced its first vehicle in 2022. Founded four years before as a technology company, its products are all new energy, with a focus on fully electric and range extending electric vehicles (REEV). Its name roughly translated as Deep Blue, the brand willexpand its product range later this yearwith two more SUVs, one an EV and the other a REEV.

As with Changan, distribution is handled by a Saudi Arabian firm, Jameel Motors, and until the arrival of the mentioned products, its line-up comprises a single model, the S07. Available in China since 2023, the S07 occupies a unique market slot contested by only one other product, the BYD Sealion 7. Priced at R995 900, the S07 is a significant R110 000 cheaper than the comparative rear-wheel drive Sealion 7, but also with less power and not offered with all-wheel drive.

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Seeming styled along the lines of the now-cancelled Lamborghini Lanzador concept, the S07, arguably, takes China’s know-how for striking vehicle design a further notch up. Sharp, distinctive and aggressive, the S07 seems to belay its classification as a mid-size crossover, and even its claimed overall length of 4 750 mm.

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